Waste and Recycling GuideCity of Sydney

Multi Unit Dwellings

For Waste and Recycling enquiries contact The City on 9265 9333 Monday to Friday from 8.00am - 6.00pm.

www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/waste

Printed on 100%

recycled paper8

11% Garden Organics (green waste)

The average City of Sydney household sends 10kg of general waste to landfill each week and much of this material can be put to a better use, re-used or recycled.

Why it’s importantDoing this helps to lessen our impact on the environment.We’re running out of landfill sites in Sydney. If we keep generating waste at the current rate, our landfill sites will soon reach their limit.

Recycling is just one easy way to ‘recover’ resources – Recovering materials like glass, plastic, paper and even food, so they don’t become waste means we save on the natural resources and the energy it might take to produce something from entirely new materials.

It’s never been easierYou can now recycle more than ever before. We’re always looking to improve our service to you because we’re aiming to cut our city’s waste by half. Help us make it happen. Recycle more. Recover more.

The services we provideCouncil will collect your

X Waste and recycling – including FREE extra bins for recycling

X Unwanted household goods and furniture – including white goods like fridges, stoves etc.

X Garden organics (garden waste)

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

7% Recyclable paper and cardboard

About this guideThis guide will help you work out what you can and can’t recycle. But if you’re one of the many who already recycle, then take it a step further. Turn to the last page for what else you can do to reduce waste.

Recycling saves on precious natural resources like water. It also reduces energy consumption overall.

What’s in your bin?

39% Food

q

30% Other q30% goes to landfill

70% of your waste can be recovered

q

Top tipX Separate your waste from your recyclables

Paper and Cardboard

Garbage Mixed Containers

13% RecyclableContainers

Mixed Container Recycling

MIXED CONTAINER RECYCLING

3YES (Plastic bottles and containers with these symbols on the base)

7NO

3 Steel and aluminium cans, aerosols, jar lids and saucepans, foil and foil trays3 Glass bottles and jars – clear, brown, green and blue coloured3 Disposable plastic containers numbered 1-7 (excluding polystyrene), food, drink, cleaning and personal care product containers3 Cartons – Liquid paperboard milk, juice cartons and tetra packs

7 Light globes, mirrors and window glass7 Broken crockery (cups and plates), ceramics or Pyrex7 Plastic bags, wrap, film and bubble wrap7 Polystyrene - foam meat trays, take-away containers and packaging7 Sharps / syringes7 Disposable nappies7 Plastic toys7 Mixed cardboard and steel containers (eg. chip cylinders)

Did you know? Plastic bags can jam the machinery in the recycling process. Although we can’t recycle them, many supermarkets can. Find one near you at www.recyclingnearyou.com.au

What happens to it?Mixed containers are separated and sorted at the materials recovery facility and then sent to be reprocessed at various locations. Plastics may be reprocessed into clothing like winter fleeces. Aluminium cans could be used to build aeroplanes.

Top tipsX Buy products with recyclable packaging

X Use separate containers for waste and recycling

X Remove lids

X Lightly rinse your recycling items

X Leave labels on – these are removed in the recycling process

Need bin bay stickers or signs? Not sure about what you can recycle? Call 9265 9333.

Paper and Cardboard Recycling

PAPER AND CARDBOARD RECYCLING

3YES

7NO

3 Cardboard packaging 3 Flattened cardboard boxes3 Egg cartons 3 Telephone books and clean paper bags, 3 Newspapers, magazines and junk mail3 Office paper3 Envelopes and tissue boxes with windows3 Empty pizza boxes – without any food residue

7 Food-soiled paper and cardboard7 Waxed paper and cardboard7 Tissues and napkins7 Mixed cardboard and steel containers (eg. chip cylinders)

Did you know? Having a ‘No Advertising Material’ sticker on your mailbox helps prevent unsolicited junk mail. Call the Distribution Standards Board on freephone 1800 676 136 to find out how to get a sticker or buy one from a hardware store.

What happens to it?Paper is taken to a paper mill and made into new card-board boxes.

Top tipsX Don’t worry about removing staples and plastic windows – these are removed in the recycling process

X If boxes are too large for the recycling bin – flatten, fold, bundle, tie neatly put them in the right place in the bin storage area

Did you know? You can register to stop receiving White or Yellow Pages by calling Sensis on 1800 810 211.

Garden Organics Recycling – Green Waste

GARDEN ORGANICS RECYCLING – GREEN WASTE

Communal composting at the Watertower unit block,

Redfern

3YES

7NO

We run FREE composting and worm farming workshops every month. Turn to the Be Involved page to find out more.

Did you know? Your Building Manager or Body Corporate can book a fortnightly garden organics waste collection service and order a green waste bin. Ask them to call 9265 9333 for a booking and check out our green waste calender on the web.

3 Twigs 3 Branches (under 10cm thick) 3 Leaves3 Grass clippings3 Shrub prunings3 Weeds 3 Flowers

7 Plastic bags7 Food scraps 7 Tree stumps or branches thicker than 10cm7 Tree roots 7 Soil, rock or building materials7 Treated timber and fence palings7 Plant pots or garden equipment

What happens to it?Garden organics are reprocessed into mulch (wood chip) and soil conditioner (compost) for reuse.

Top tipsX Put all garden organics in a bin with the lime green lid

X Cut large branches into 1m lengths, bundle them so they’re not too heavy to lift, tie with a natural fibre string and put them neatly next to the bin

X Bear in mind garden organics placed in boxes or plastic bags won’t be collected

X Keep it to 2 cubic metres per booking – this is up to a small box trailer load

White Goods Recycling and Household Clean-Up

WHITE GOODS RECYCLING AND HOUSEHOLD CLEAN-UP

Did you know? You can book a White Goods or Household Clean-Up by calling 9265 9333. Before you do, check with your Building Manager or Body Corporate to find out where the goods should be placed and ask if it’s up to you to make the booking.

3YES

7NO

3 Whitegoods (collected separately for metal recycling) with doors removed for safety reasons – refrigerators, washing machines etc.3 Furniture – lounges, rugs, mattresses etc.3 Appliances – televisions, computers, radios, toasters, heaters etc. (Except for white goods, all items must be less than 1.5m or 100kg)

7 Gas cylinders and vehicle batteries7 Liquid wastes including motor/cooking oil7 Carpet and floor tiles7 Tyres and car parts7 Building and demolition materials 7 Wooden crates and pallets

Handy contactsX For the items we can’t recycle – take them to a Waste Management Centre. Find your nearest centre at www.wsn.com.au or call 1300 065 116

X Hazardous Chemicals – find out how to dispose of chemicals, paints, and even fluorescent tubes. Call the Environment Line on 131 555

X Unwanted Medication – find out how to dispose of your out-of-date medicines. Go to www.returnedmed.com.au or any pharmacy

X Car Parts and Metals – look in the Yellow Pages for your nearest Scrap Metal Recycler

What happens to it?White Goods are taken away for metal recycling and made into products like cars and steel cans.

Top tipsX Wrap and label sharp or dangerous items like mirrors and glass

X Keep it to 2 cubic metres per booking – this is up to a small box trailer load

X Book your clean-up collection first, then separate white goods from household items and put it out the night before

X Put small items into containers – no loose materials will be collected

What happens every dayEach day, our Cleansing Team works hard to remove spills, debris, leaves, litter and dumped material from our roads, laneways and footpaths. You’ll see us manually sweep as well use machines to scrub, sweep and even steam-clean the streets of your neighbourhood. Street litter bins and ashtrays are emptied and bill posters, syringes, abandoned items and graffiti are removed. Even though we’re out there daily, there are times when we might miss something. This is where you can help.

Report

X illegal dumps by calling 9265 9333

X abandoned shopping trolleys by calling the Trolley Trackers hotline on Freephone 1800 641 497. They’ll remove it within 24 hours

X graffiti or bill poster advertising by calling 9265 9333

X syringes by calling the Needle Cleanup Hotline on Freephone 1800 633 353.

If you’re disposing of syringes and needles at collection points like public hospitals, and participating health centres and pharmacies, they need to be in a strong, puncture resistant container like an Australian Standard Sharps container.

Did you knowSome actions are illegal and can result in heavy fines. These are:

X Household items left on the street – they’re classed as illegal dumping if you haven’t booked a collection

X Littering – litter attracts vermin and often ends up in stormwater drains and pollutes the harbour and waterways. Even dropping a cigarette butt can lead to a $200 fine

X Sweeping leaves or litter from a private property onto the street

X Graffiti and bill poster advertising

X Putting residential and commercial waste in street litter bins – they’re for public use only

Keeping your Neighbourhood Clean and Tidy

Footway sweeper

KEEPING YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD CLEAN AND TIDY

Street cleaner

Graffiti removal

Help us keep your neighbourhood clean and tidy by reporting anything that might need to be cleaned or removed.

The WatershedThe City of Sydney and Marrickville Council have partnered to support The Watershed – a sustainability resource centre in Newtown. It’s a place where you can drop in and talk to knowledgeable staff about how to reduce your waste or get other green advice. It also offers free workshops as part of the Urban Sustainability Workshop Series.

Drop into The Watershed at 218 King Street, Newtown or find out more at www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/environment

And finally…..Remember the four steps to keep waste out of landfill

1. AvoidXBuy things that last and that can be reused

XHire or borrow things you use infrequently

2. ReduceXBuy things with little or no packaging

XBuy only what you need

XCompost or worm farm

3. ReuseXRepair what you can

XBuy things made out of recycled content and shop at charity shops

XUse Free-cycle (a free reuse website) www.freecycle.org/groups/australia

4. RecycleXRefer to this guide before you throw something away

Did you know?Our Waste Education Team also run special programs for

X School children

X Ethnic communities

X Local businesses

X Visitors to our city

Ask how we can help your community by calling 9265 9333.

BE INVOLVED

Community GardensWe support 10 community gardens. If you’re short of garden space in your home, our gardens are a perfect place for you to grow your own fruit and vegetables and meet others in your local community.

Be Involved

Community garden

Find out more about our FREE workshops and our community gardens at www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/environment/waste/WhatYouCanDo or call 9265 9333 and ask to speak to the Waste Education Team

Composting and Worm FarmingComposting and worm farming is reusing organic waste. It’s just another way we can recover resources easily. Our monthly ‘hands-on’ workshops are popular with both first-timers and those looking for tips on how to improve their existing compost bins and worm farms. If you’re a City of Sydney resident, you’ll get a free compost bin or worm farm to take home.

“I got home from the workshop and set up my bin straight away. I was surprised to find it was so easy” – Steve, City of Sydney resident

“The workshop was a great opportunity for me to ask questions and find out what others are doing”– Melissa, City of Sydney resident